Agreed but on the other hand one must feel sorry also for whoever the emergency was. I was that emergency once!
Doesn't make it any easier mind as I also (Last year) spent ten days sitting around in hospital waiting for a bed in another hospital for a procedure and dying of boredom. Since I was in a bed next to the nurses station I knew that they must have thought I was slightly ill. Had I gone home I would have gone to the bottom of the waiting list but they wouldn't let me anyway.
Thanks Bob, there wasn't an emergency. I was told a technician had been sent home poorly. Wouldn't have wanted him/her to stay if unwell.
I'm tempted to stay off the bisoprolol, as I felt so much better without it.
How awful for you . I do hope you get another appt very soon. I suppose these things are unavoidable but it doesn't make you feel any better when you are all geared up for the procedure.
Oh no, all that pent up energy awaiting the procedure gone to waste. Hope you don't have to wait too long for it. How disappointing to say the least. Best wishes for next time.
Thanks! Your "Noooooooooooooooo" was what I felt like sayiong to the nurse. I even held off from sipping the tea she brought me , just in case there had been a mistake!
I came back off hol day early to message on land line saying cancelled. Also spent 8 hrs on ward to be cancelled. As Bob says someone's need was greater than mine.
I feel for the committed staff who come into work when they are unwell knowing that if they stay home proceedures will probably be cancelled. I think this may have ocurred today as I was gowned and ready to go for 5 hours before being told the proceedure was off.
Hi ijan. I am sorry you still have the procedure in front of you instead of being well into the recovery process. For me, the anxiety of waiting for something is always worse than the actual event. But one thing I truly believe at this point in my life is that everything happens for a reason. It's frustrating when we don't have the whole picture up front as to how changes affect us for better or worse, It would be so helpful and calming to know the WHY. But we are not always given foresight, and only sometimes are we given hindsite about why things happen the way they do. I would like to share a recent experience that even now makes me wonder which way I would have wanted events to unfold if I had been given a choice. As many of you probably know (I have written about my recent Watchman Procedure ad nauseam, how anxious I was to have it, and how happy I am now it's done.) Here is how it unfolded timewise. An aside: I was a nurse and I know all the times during my career I went to work not feeling well because I was expected to be there and functioning. Background: There is one illness I try to avoid as much as possible and that is 'the common cold'. For me, it would always turn into asthma, the hospital, serious meds, you get the picture. My brother could throw off a beginning cold in 2-3 days and I really envied him this ability. Back to the present: My Watchman Procedure was scheduled for Jan 15th of this year and I was there, on the table, waiting to go to sleep. There was a nurse on my left tucking my arm while others were also around the table positioning me and I heard the nurse to my left sniffling a lot; like we do when we are starting a cold and have a slightly 'runny nose.' As she was wearing her mask, she couldn't do anything but keep sniffling and clearing her throat. I remember thinking, "Please God, don't let her have a cold." (My nemesis illness). Long story short. Went to sleep, woke up, stayed overnight, went home next day feeling great and happy everything went smoothly and I was on my recovery path. Surg onMon,home Tues, and very bad weather moved in Tues even with roads quickly becoming impassable.By Tues night I began to feel ill and by early Wed had a high enough fever that I knew needed attention. Was able to get to ER Thurs am and was diagnosed with Influenza A. Stayed in hospital 2 days in isolation, started on Tamiflu and then sent home. So many people were admitted to area hospitals with Influenza, they were running out of beds, supplies and being home was safer germwise than hospitals. I obviously recovered-which many didn't, but felt sick for almost three weeks. Moral I wish they had sent that nurse home even if my procedure got postponed. It was the worst I had felt in years. We never know who we may have gotten our cold/flu from but it came on so fast and on Mon I was healthy, My EP said I most likely picked it up in the hospital. Who knows? But I would have delayed a procedure I wanted if I could have spared myself those 3 weeks of discomfort. Sorry to ramble but for a reason you may never know, the Universe may have helped you 'dodge a bullet.". I still hope you are able to get your surgery behind you asap. Waiting is often the worst part. Take care. irina1975
I can sympathise, it had happened to me 4 times. Once before an operation on my nose, once when I was to have a hand operation and twice for ablations. .
I had to learn a lot of patients but it never gets any easier.
Thanks, I think it may happen more nowadays because there is absolutely no slack in the system. I feel for the staff who must try to soldier on knowing that operations will be cancelled if they go home.
Fingers crossed for a more successful rerun in the near future.
Cancellations are stressful at the best of times but do have an additional impact when the patient is also a carer. I'm not looking forward to setting everthing up again, but at least we had a "dry run" today.
However sometimes things people have may not be best to have in a lab or pass on to others.
Ye. Never been so stressed but had complt with avlation. Diaphragm was damaged but apart from tiredness feeling great. Wekle worth doing and im worlds worst patient. Best of luck
I am so sorry for all those whose procedures have been cancelled last minute. It is very difficult to psyche oneself up to have it done and then to find it not done and have to go through the whole procedure again is horrible. I am afraid in those situations all one can do is accept the situation and keep going. Try to stay optimistic. Immerse yourself in a good book. Watch uplifting things on TV, DVD. Have a virtual hug.
Compensation scheme? Unbelievable. We should be very grateful that we live in a country where we are offered such services and have an NHS despite its shortcomings. Hope you dont wait too long ijan
While I live in US, couldn't agree more with your view. We have issues with medical coverage/insurance etc in the States....but what terrifies me and many others is that we will move to socialized medicine like Europe and Canada. As you probably know, we can generally get right in to a specialist...vs. the waits described on this site in Europe. When I had my first flutter episode..two days before Christmas...I could have had an ablation a day or two after Christmas. And we can pick the MD, EP, hospital, etc. Can go anywhere in the country and get in very quickly.
Have heard of several Canadian residents with critical heart or cancer issues - like brain cancer...and the soonest they could see a specialist was 6 months. One of them came to the US and paid out of pocket to be treated.
It appears that socialized/government run medicine basically results in Cardio, Ortho, etc specialists basically being paid like family practice MD's...so why specialize? Then the waiting lists to see specialists become unreal. As you point out, even when the government takes it over, citizens are still paying for it...yet lose control over who they see, when they see them, and as a practical matter it seems there is little reason for MD's to have a customer focused mindset. The medical system starts behaving like any other government agency - slow, inefficient, limited accountability, etc. Maybe there are benefits I don't see, but despite all the complaints about the US system, hope we can maintain and improve it....not turn over to government.
One thing I am grateful for is I still have the right in the US to choose my doctor-or Not choose him.her as the case may be. The only limitation is my insurance and what they choose to cover. But I will cut corners elsewhere to afford the best coverage I can. At 74 and with some significant medical problems I would be insane not have good coverage.
Amen. When there is no choice, the whole system starts to break down. Can't imagine good MD's like to treated like "commodities", rather than attracting patients based on their level of skill. A Canadian resident was telling me recently about MD's in Canada who take a couple months off each year, since they have been paid the maximum they can receive under the Canadian plan. Imagine being under their care...and then they are gone for couple months....
Very interesting. I didn't know that. Best to find out when their vacation is scheduled before planning surgery! It's very frustrating when another doctor is covering for your regular one and has no clue what's going on with you. And glance thru your chart before speaking with you? Probably won't happen.
Bear in mind that those who can afford to pay, or have medical insurance, can also opt for private treatment in the UK. While the NHS is free at the point of delivery to almost everyone. This has its pitfalls but offers economies of scale, and also treats patients whose private procedures have been botched by practicioners/companies who have later gone out of business. I think there are pros and cons to both systems.
Many top consultants in the UK do both private and NHS work.
Good point. I know we have a good healthcare system in the US although not without its problems. From what I've learned on this forum the UK also has many good points along with some problems just like us. It's a shame someone can't combine the best of both worlds and get rid of the bad parts!. Here's me with my head in the clouds again!
Content on HealthUnlocked does not replace the relationship between you and doctors or other healthcare professionals nor the advice you receive from them.
Never delay seeking advice or dialling emergency services because of something that you have read on HealthUnlocked.